1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of photography and, more specifically, to an improved photographic copy apparatus for previewing an original picture to be copied and projecting an image of the original picture onto a photosensitive recording material for exposure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, photographic cameras designed for the mass amateur market, the photographic film used therein and print papers used by photofinishers to make enlarged copies from original pictures (whether they be negative images or positive transparent images) have evolved in a series of well known standardized formats. From the table below, it will be seen that, for the most part, these amateur products have a normalized image area format or normalized ratio of height to width in the range of 1.times.1 to 1.times.1.4. Professional photographers and serious amateurs have, over the past few years, been more inclined to use 35 mm camera equipment for making both reflection prints and slide transparencies. 35 mm film has a standardized image area format of 24.times.36 mm. Normalized, it has a height-to-width ratio of 1.times.1.5. When a 35 mm image is printed on a standard size print paper, such as 3.5.times.5 inches (normalized to 1.times.1.43), it becomes obvious that the projected image must be cropped in the width dimension to fit onto a standard paper. Because photofinishers use automated production lines that are set up for such standard size print paper, the cropping operation often occurs automatically with the image being centered so that the lost image area portions are at the lateral margins. Alternatively, rather than cropping, the photofinisher may choose to project the full frame image onto a standard size print paper so that the full width dimension fits thereon. In this case, however, the finished print will have abnormally wide lateral margins.
A great many users of 35 mm equipment are unaware of the cropping operation and therefore do not provide specific cropping instructions to the photofinisher. In most instances, special cropping instructions will require a hand-printing operation at a premium price.
Some photofinishers do offer to print 35 mm pictures on specialized or non-standard size print paper for providing a full frame image. Examples of this format include print paper of 3.5.times.5.25 inches and 8.times.12 inches. However, there is generally an extra charge unless a particular photofinisher is set up to print a large volume of full frame 35 mm pictures.
______________________________________ Image Area Normalized Dimensions Format (H .times. W) (H .times. W) ______________________________________ 35mm Format 24 .times. 36 (mm) 1 .times. 1.5 Standard Film and 2.5 .times. 3.5 (inches) 1 .times. 1.4 Print Paper 3.5 .times. 4.5 1 .times. 1.29 3.5 .times. 5 1 .times. 1.43 4 .times. 5 1 .times. 1.25 5 .times. 7 1 .times. 1.4 8 .times. 10 1 .times. 1.25 11 .times. 14 1 .times. 1.27 16 .times. 20 1 .times. 1.25 Self-Developing 3 .times. 3.125 (inches) 1 .times. 1.04 Film Units 2.7 .times. 3.6 1 .times. 1.33 3.25 .times. 3.25 1 .times. 1 3.25 .times. 4.25 1 .times. 1.31 4 .times. 5 1 .times. 1.25 8 .times. 10 1 .times. 1.25 Non-Standard Film 3.5 .times. 5.25 1 .times. 1.5 and Print Paper For Full 35mm 8 .times. 12 1 .times. 1.5 Prints ______________________________________
It will be noted, that the list includes self-developing film units which may be used in copy apparatus that allow the user to make copies from original pictures, such as 35 mm slide transparencies, at home.
Again, it will be noted that the normalized format of commercially available self-developing film units fall into the 1.times.1 to 1.times.1.3 range and therefore is not compatible on a direct enlargement basis with the 35 mm format which is normalized at 1.times.1.5.
It is well known in the prior art to provide a photographic copy apparatus for making copies of original pictures. More particularly, there are numerous apparatus disclosed which are especially well suited for making reflection prints from 35 mm slide transparencies.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,667 issued to Edgerton on Nov. 27, 1962 provides a slide copier incorporating a self-developing camera therein. The copier includes a previewing station 5 where the user observes and orients the slide which is thereafter put into a slot 7 for a density reading to set the light intensity of a strobe unit. From slot 7 the slide is transferred to a projection tray 9 where it is aligned with a projection lens and illumination system. No mention is made of the incompatibility of the 35 mm format with the instant film used in the copy apparatus. Therefore, if standardized film having a normalized format that falls outside the range of the 35 mm format is used, then the system automatically provides cropping by projecting only that portion of the slide that is compatible with the film format. For a full frame image a specialized non-commercially available film would have to be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,446 issued to J. J. Driscoll et al. on Apr. 4, 1978 is directed to a combination slide viewer/copier. In the viewing mode, an image of the transparency is projected onto a rear viewing screen. Upon pressing a button, the apparatus converts into a copy mode where the projected image is focused onto a self-developing film unit located at an apparatus exposure plane. Again, the patent is silent as to the incompatibility of the 35 mm format versus the film format and it may assume that the cropping takes place in the projection system and is centered. There is no provision for selective cropping by the operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,175 issued to Sullivan on Oct. 10, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,760 issued to Bruce K. Johnson on Apr. 4, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 2,866,380 issued to Herbert Bing on Dec. 30, 1958; and commonly assigned copending Application Ser. No. 914,219 filed on June 9, 1978 (now abandoned and replaced by U.S. Ser. No. 060,491 filed on July 25, 1979) all relate to self-developing copy apparatus. Again, these disclosures are silent as to the compatibility of format and it must be assumed that only a preselected portion of the full frame 35 mm image is projected by the optical system.
The last mentioned patent does include a frame adjustment member for locating a predetermined portion of the original picture in optical alignment with the lens axis for varying picture sizes. However, adjustment of the frame is meant to be made only on an occasional basis in that it is secured with adjusting screws 158 which would require the operator to loosen the screws, move the mounting frame and then tighten them again for each photograph of a different format.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simply constructed and compact photographic copy apparatus for use with an original picture and photosensitive copy material that differ in image area formats on a normalized basis and includes a previewing station, means for the operator to simply and accurately select that portion of the original that is compatible on a normalized basis with the copy film format and automatically adjust the position of a projection picture holder with respect to the copy apparatus projection system so that portion of the full frame image of the original picture that is projected corresponds to the selected portion at the viewing station after the original picture is transferred from the viewing station to a projection station.
Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.